Trump assassination attempt suspect Routh's legal team considers insanity defense

The legal team for Ryan Routh, the man accused of trying to assassinate then-presidential candidate Donald Trump at a Florida golf course in September, is considering an insanity defense.

Routh appeared for a hearing in federal court Wednesday morning in Fort Pierce, Florida, with Federal Judge Aileen Cannon presiding. Cannon previously presided over and eventually dismissed Trump’s federal classified documents case.

Public defenders said a mental health expert has met with Routh at least twice, and Routh has also met with jail mental health professionals who they say can prove his mental health state.

The last witness to see Routh before he was arrested claims Routh was "hallucinating" and that other witnesses said he was "delusional," according to the defense.

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Prosecutors also said that Routh had written up to 40 letters to national news outlets in what appeared to be an attempt to persuade the press that he’s an "honorable guy." The letters were intercepted before being received, though Cannon made it clear that she had not put a gag order on his free speech up to this point.

Routh allegedly lay in wait for over 12 hours in the brush with a rifle on the perimeter of the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach as Trump was golfing on Sept. 15. A Secret Service agent saw Routh pointing a rifle through a fence and fired at him. Routh fled and was arrested that day.

The alleged would-be assassin has pleaded not guilty to five counts, including the attempted assassination of a presidential candidate and assault on a federal officer. His trial is currently scheduled for Feb. 10, 2025.

Routh’s attorneys have already filed a motion for a continuance, asking for the trial to be delayed until December 2025 because of the "extraordinary volume" of discovery still being examined.

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"Proceeding with the scheduled trial or anytime soon thereafter — on charges punishable by life imprisonment — would result in a miscarriage of justice," the defense attorneys said in the filing.

Prosecutors said they will be prepared for trial in February but are not opposed to a "reasonable" delay, though they said a continuance until December 2025 would not be "reasonable."

The prosecution's response to Routh's request for a continuance filed on Tuesday detailed some of the discovery. 

Prosecutors said 17 of the 18 cell phones found during the investigation belonged to Routh. Routh's notebook had "dozens of pages of names and numbers pertaining to overseas locations."

The filing said a "massive amount of law enforcement agents and agencies" have been working "around the clock" to assess Routh's movements in both the U.S. and "multiple countries abroad."

Fox News’ Heather Lacy contributed to this report.